How do reefs recover after a disaster?

UQ’s Libby Liggins has just been announced as one of the year's Smart Futures PhD Scholarships recipients, and she is over the moon.

A PhD candidate in the School of Biological Science, her research will help inform the future design of marine reserves for the Great Barrier Reef and provide our iconic coral reef communities with the greatest chance of survival due to climate change events.

“Marine reserves aim to conserve biodiversity as it exists today and ensure the perseverance into the future," Miss Liggins said.

"Climate change is threatening many coral reef species so it has become increasingly urgent to understand how populations of species are connected during larval dispersion so that we can continue to monitor and update marine reserve boundaries.

“To do this we will collect different species that are common to coral reefs throughout Australia and the Indo-Pacific, including fish, starfish, coral, urchins, slugs, and clams.

“The organisms will be collected from around 15 reef locations including: Ningaloo in Western Australia, Ashmore Reef and the Wessell Islands in the Northern Territory, Timor Leste, Bali in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and Queensland’s own Heron Island, Lizard Island and Moreton Bay.

“By using measures of genetic difference between reef populations of the same species I hope to reveal which reefs are connected through the dispersal of which species, their overall relative connectedness, and which reef communities are isolated.

“The information collected will be important to inform the planning of Marine Protected Areas. Isolated reef populations are likely to be genetically distinct, and connected reef populations are likely to rely on particular ‘source’ reef areas for replenishment following disturbances such as tropical storms and over-fishing.

“By combining this information we can start to make informed decisions regarding the suitable positioning and scale of marine parks to help buffer our valuable coral reef ecosystems to contemporary stresses."

Media: Tracey Franchi, Communications Manager School of Biological Sciences (07 3365 4831, t.franchi@uq.edu.au).